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Illegal Gold mining and water quality. A case study of River Offin in the Central Region of Ghana
(2018)
Ghana as a country in the west of Africa is naturally endowed with many rich natural resources some of which includes; Gold, diamond, bauxite, manganese, cocoa, etc. Currently, it’s the second leading producer of gold production in Africa after South Africa. Gold production has produced a lot of benefits to the nation but at the same time contributed to many negativities ranging from pollution (water and air), land degradation, ethnic conflicts and deforestation. Industrial gold mining itself was never a big issue that caused any panic in the country till illegal gold miners “Galamseyers” also commenced operating. The sole objectives of this research were to determine the level of some specific heavy metal (Mercury, Lead, Arsenic and Zinc) concentrations within the Offin River in Dunkwa-on-Offin, Buabenso, Ayanfuri and Nkotumso. Results after the research revealed that, Ayanfuri recorded the highest level of concentrations. Nkotumso followed in that order before Buabenso with Dunkwa-on-Offin recording the least concentrations. It also became clear later that, even though the degree of intensiveness of the illegal mining “Galamsey” operations could have been a main factor for the increased concentrations, another finding was that, towns or communities that recorded higher concentrations throughout the study also showed to be towns that made use of inorganic fertilizers on its farms. The Minerals and mining Act 2006 of Ghana was then analyzed and conclusion was that, though the country has very strong policies regarding illegal mining termed “Galamsey”, there seemed to be institutional loop holes that have not been strong enough to combat illegal mining in the country. In recommending policy directives to improve the river quality, six (6) institutions including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology(MEST), Minerals Commission of Ghana, Environmental Protection Agency, Forestry Commission and the water Resources Commission were identified with detailed recommended roles clearly spelt out for each institution.
Ghana’s timber industries have traditionally focussed on certifying international demand (exports) to the detriment of domestic wood consumption. The legal wood supply to the domestic market has become insufficient to satisfy the growing needs of the local population. This research aims at gaining greater insight into the sources of wood supply to Ghana’s domestic wood markets focusing on the contribution of legal wood by the mainstream timber companies.
The study used random and purposive sampling techniques for selecting the respondents in the domestic wood market, wood producers as well as consumers. Additionally, the views of the respondents were sought through well semi-structured questionnaires. On the other hand, views from key informants, mostly experts, and regulators in Ghana’s wood industry were solicited through interviews.
The result indicates that the formal timber processors supply 73% of their processed lumber to the export market and 27% to the domestic market. The destination of the 27% is both the domestic market and other lumber demanded sectors especially large scale construction and furniture companies. The carving industry on other hand obtains wood directly from the farmers and not necessary from the domestic wood market. At the domestic timber market, dealers receive lumber supply from both formal (16. 7%) and informal (83.3%) sources.
The domestic wood sector provides livelihood support to both wood dealers, consumers as well as artisans. About 70% of respondents (wood dealers) used in the survey have no other source of livelihood for existence except wood business.
Owing to the immense contribution of the domestic wood market to the country’s economy and developmental agenda, a calls for policy review especially 20% supply of formal processed lumber to the domestic market is timely. Additionally, looking at the various interventions to curtail illegal chain saw and the continued market demand, the study believes more regulated measures will better help the nation to grasped huge revenue lost as a result of illegalities to embark on vigorous afforestation programs to sustain the domestic wood market.
Zusammenfassung
Ansatz der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, mit Blick auf den in einer großen Variationsbreite existierenden Brauprozess in Brauereien mit unterschiedlichster jährlicher Produktionsmenge und technologischem Stand, die wesentlichen charakteristischen Teilprozessschritte hinsichtlich Ihrer Bedarfe an den thermischen Energieformen Wärme und Kälte, unter Berücksichtigung der jeweils in den Teilprozessen herrschenden Temperaturniveaus, darzustellen. Dies ist in Kapitel 2 sowohl für die in Trocknungsprozessen vorbehandelten feststofflichen Braukomponente Gerstenmalz und Hopfen, sowie für die mit dem Beginn der Erwärmung von frischem Brauwasser startenden Prozesse des Einmaischens, Läuterns, Kochens, Gärens bis hin zur Reifung des Jungbieres, erfolgt. Zunächst wurde das jeweilige Temperaturniveau der einzelnen Phasen des Brauvorgangs, trotz seiner unterschiedlichen verfahrenstechnischen Realisierung, abgesteckt. In Kapitel 5 wird der rein für den Prozess notwendige Wärme- und Kältebedarf, auf der Basis der wesentlichen Zustandsänderungen des entstehenden Produktes, bestimmt. Dabei liegt bei jedem Prozessschritt entweder ein Wärme- oder ein Kältebedarf vor. Die Teilprozesse bilden eine zeitliche Abfolge innerhalb des Brauprozesses, welche die Vorstufen des Bieres nacheinander durchläuft. Die in den Kapiteln 3 zum Thema Kälte und in Kapitel 4 zum Thema Wärme dargestellten Grundlagen, liefern die Grundlagen für das Verständnis, des Verhaltens eines Systems im Umfeld von thermischer Energie und bilden die thermodynamischen Kenntnisse, die für die Beurteilung des Transportes, der Erzeugung und der Speicherung von Wärme und Kälte ergeben. Die Wärme und Kältebedarfe in ihrer zeitlichen Abfolge ermöglichen uns unabhängig von gängigen technischen Realisierungen in der Praxis noch einmal in Kapitel 6 die Frage zu stellen, in wie weit zunächst für jeden einzelnen Teilprozess Energieeffizienzverbesserungen durch Eingriff in den Prozess möglich sind. Die Frage der Heranführung der Wärme bei Wärmebedarf des Produktes an das Produkt hat in der Entwicklung der Brauereitechnologie sehr verschiedenen konstruktiven Ausführungen der Maischgefäße und der Gefäße für die Würzebehandlung geführt. An dieser Stelle ist der Einfluss von Veränderungen, welche den Transport von Wärme verbessern könnten, auch auf das Produkt zu hinterfragen. Die modernen Ausführungen der Maisch- und Würzepfannen sind auf ein produktschonendes Verfahren ausgelegt. Änderungen im Anlagenpark erfordern von jeder Brauerei einen langerprobten Umgang, um trotz der Veränderungen an diesen Prozesshilfsmitteln, dennoch die geschmackliche Qualität des Bieres nicht unerwünscht zu beeinflussen. Die Rückführung der Verdampfungswärme beim Kochen und teilweise Verdampfen der Würze in der Pfanne, in den Prozess, unter Beibehaltung des höchstmöglichen Temperaturniveaus dieser Wärme, ist ein Beispiel aus Kapitel 6 für die Effizienzsteigerung des Teilprozesses. Stärker in den produktbeeinflussenden Teilprozess des Maischens greift die Wahl zwischen den zwei etablierten Wärmezufuhrverfahren, dem traditionellen Dekoktionsverfahren und dem in letzter Zeit deutlich überwiegenden Infusionsverfahren. Hier liegt mit der Wahl des letzteren Verfahrens, innerhalb des Teilprozesses Maischen ein Effizienzsteigerungspotential in der Praxis.
Die teilprozessübergreifende Kopplung der einzelnen Verfahrensschritte erlaubt den Transport von Wärme und Kälte, zwischen diesen Teilprozessen, unter Berücksichtigung der zeitlichen Versetzung der einzelnen Teilprozesse. Damit lassen sich Wärme- und Kältebedarfe untereinander bedienen, wenn eine Speichervorrichtung für Wärme auf den jeweiligen Temperaturniveaus vorhanden ist. Das Temperaturniveau der thermischen Energien ist, wie bereits in der Theorie in den Kapitel 3 und 4 gesehen, wo großer Bedeutung. Denn es geht bei der Steigerung der Energieeffizienz des Gesamtprozesses um die Erhaltung des Potentials der Wärme und Kälte trotz naturbedingter Einbußen, welche die Übertragung der Wärme aufgrund eines notwendigen Temperaturgefälles mit sich bringt. Die Kopplung der Teilprozesse entlang des Brauprozesses führt nach der Analyse in Kapitel 6 dazu, dass Energiezufuhr von außen am heißesten Ort entlang der Prozesskette erforderlich ist, da an dieser Stelle des Würzekochens und Verdampfens innerhalb des Gesamtprozesses keine Wärme auf diesem Temperaturniveau „ausgeliehen“ werden kann. Als Resultat erhält man, das eine Dampferzeugung zur Wärmebereitstellung mit einer Temperatur oberhalb der Siedetemperatur von 100°C erforderlich ist, sowie Kältebereitstellung für die kühlen Prozessschritte Gären und Reifen, bei denen die Aufrechterhaltung einer Temperatur bei knapp 0°C gegenüber der wärmeren Umgebung über eine längere Zeitdauer erforderlich ist.
Hiermit kommt man zu der zweiten Fragestellung aus der Einleitung, welche Szenarien der Bereitstellung der Energie, ggf. in Form einer Selbstversorgung der Brauerei sinnvoll ist.
Energetisch ist die Erzeugung von Wärme auf einem vergleichsweise moderaten Temperaturniveau von benötigten 120 bis 140°C durch die Verbrennung des Primärenergieträgers Erdgas im Dampferzeuger nicht optimal. Es bietet sich an, das Gas bei der Verbrennung einen guten Teil seiner Exergie in Reinform zur Verfügung stellen zu können, in dem es z.B. in einem Gasmotor mechanische Arbeit leisten darf, die über einen Generator zu elektrischem Strom veredelt wird, und die Wärmebedarfe in der Brauerei aus dem Abgas und dem Kühlwasser des Motors gedeckt werden. Diese Form des gasbetriebenen Blockheizkraftwerkes (BHKW) ist in der Industrie seit einiger Zeit weit verbreitet. Der Strom deckt Bedarfe durch Elektromotorenantriebe, Kälteerzeugung mit Kompressions-Kältemaschinen, Lüftungsventilatoren, Pumpen und Beleuchtung. Überschüssiger Strom kann ggf. an den Stromversorger verkauft werden.
Der Wärmebedarf für den Brauprozess, sowie für die Wärme im Flaschen- und Fassreinigungsprozess, sowie zur Pasteurisierung des Bier (bei Rückgewinnung eines Teils der Wärme auf leicht niedrigerem Temperaturniveau) wird durch eine Wärmebedarfsauslegung des BHKW weitestgehend gedeckt. In der Ausführung des BHKW sollte berücksichtigt sein, dass die Wärme in ausreichender Menge bei höherer Temperatur durch optimale Nutzung des heißen Abgases entnommen wird, um auf jeden Fall den Dampfbedarf in der Würzepfanne zu decken.
Policy measures are essential tools for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in the electricity generation. Feed-in tariffs (FITs) are the most used policy for support of renewable technologies globally. Nevertheless, Ecuador phased-out FITs in 2016 and adopted auctions in 2015. Ecuador’s implementation of auctions reflects an approach with little relation to practices in other countries and without a technology-specific design. On the other hand, Germany demonstrates a long trajectory in policy-making with vast experience in FITs. Moreover, in 2017 Germany adopted auctions as the official policy to support renewable projects with a scope larger than 750 kW. However, FITs are still in use and complement auctions.
This thesis analyses and compares the country-specific contexts where these policies are implemented through the lens of a multi-level perspective framework. As a result, the most important success factors in Germany have been identified: long-term planning, institutional continuity, legislative stability and principally an actively participating society, which is environmentally aware. Obstacles for the transition in Ecuador are institutional discontinuity, legislative inconsistency, the lack of long-term planning and absence of society as actors of the transition. Due to Germany’s pioneering role plus the successful growth of renewable sources during the last twenty years, their policy implementations appear desirable to adopt in other contexts. Therefore, a prospective transferability of the auction policy from Germany to Ecuador is additionally analyzed.
The present thesis research was focused on the assessment of hydrological drought in the Tempisque-Bebedero catchment system in Costa Rica as part of the TropiSeca project framework. The study area is in the province of Guanacaste and has an extension of 5449.94 Km2, the region is characterized by a defined wet and dry season resulting in a marked seasonality in precipitation and streamflow regime which provokes frequent periods of water deficits considered as drought.
The main objective of this research is to conduct an analysis on hydrological drought in the study area through the understanding of the behavior of hydrological cycle and its implications for the rice sector by applying different drought indices such as Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Streamflow Drought Index (SDI). From the values obtained in the calculation of drought indices were studied the temporal distribution and spatial distribution based on the characterization of drought periods in terms of frequency, severity, duration, and seasonality.
For the characterization of meteorological drought in the study area an approach based on area average precipitation was implemented to calculate a regional representative SPI for each sub-basin, in contrast, hydrological drought was assessed using only two streamflow gauges data provided by the ICE from 1973 until 2003.
As result, Tempisque showed longer drought periods in comparison with Bebedero whose mean duration was lower but the number of drought events were more frequent. In terms of spatial distribution, it could be found that the upper basin experienced extreme meteorological drought periods at high time scales tied to a severe streamflow deficit probably justified by its low permeability due to geological characteristics that allow a slow movement of groundwater.
Additionally, one of the aims of this thesis was to analyze the existence of correlation between precipitation and streamflow anomalies with rice yield and, to determine the influence of ENSO in climate variability using Sea Surface Temperature indices; in this phase of the research was found that climate patterns in the catchment system exhibited a significant influence by ENSO events with a significance level of 99% (r > 0.7) showing an important dependence of meteorological drought periods presented during the period 1980-2016.
In terms of temporal behavior of rice yield anomalies was revealed moderate correlation coefficients (r < 0.4) in both watersheds due to in most of the cases the response of water deficit did not have significant impact in terms of magnitude as expected; in some periods in which drought period was present categorized as mild-drought, rice yield had a considerable decreasing compared with those in which was categorized as extreme event; these differences can be justified mostly because crop yield depends not only on weather, but also on variety of seed used and its coping capacity to periods of water scarcity, fertilizers, soil moisture, farming techniques, sowing date, temperature, irrigation, use of pesticides etc.
The results of this thesis can be used to motivate future researches in the elaboration of crop models to predict yields based on physiological processes during plant development considering water requirement to take enough measures to mitigate the effects of drought periods. Furthermore, it should be considered to implement a drought monitor system in the area as an important tool of early warning system and as an indicator for the efficient water resources management.
As the number and intensity of environmental challenges increase, more faiths have initiated religiously motivated change within their communities or have been involved in cooperation projects with NGOs or GOs dedicated to conservation. Even though a lot of quantitative research had been done on the correlation of religiosity and concern for the environment, no scientific study dealt about the argumentation lines that drive or discourage believers to get involved in environmental conversation. As a basis for the research the Theory of Planned Behavior of Ajzen was modified into a model. By the means of Semi-Standardized Interview guidelines 15 members and leaders of different church communities in Amman were interrogated to retrieve meaning of and cause-effect-chains between the different components of the model. Their answers were coded and analyzed with cross tables to identify interconnections and their tendencies.
The results show that interviewees’ religious convictions about God and the world were the strongest influencer, whereas the community and leaders rarely gave a reason for people to adapt water saving measures. External factors such as governmental, societal, political or economic mostly discouraged people to adapt environmentfriendly behaviors. Approaches by the GIZ have already started catering to those challenges and potentials, however the range of impact did not reach until most of the interviewees.
Jordan is deemed as one of the least water-endowed regions in the world. The acute water shortage, accompanied with changing climatic conditions have necessitated the increasing use of treated wastewater (TWW), predominantly in irrigated agriculture sector. This is especially true with the upper Zarqa River. The ample supply of TWW resources can be found there; paradoxically, the practical implementation of TWW reuse is hindered by the enforcement of irrigation water quality standard, compounding pressure on the dwindling groundwater resources. In light of the large potential source of TWW, this study aims to supply knowledge on maximizing the safe reuse of TWW while minimizing the environmental impacts within the local environment of the upper Zarqa River. A SWOT analysis was conducted to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of TWW reuse for agriculture in the local context. In recognition of the projected growth in the treated effluent to more than 135 MCM in the coming ten years, and how it would affect the water use on the study region, several plausible development scenarios were proposed based on expected developments on the ground. Considering the vital role of TWW in sustaining multiple ecosystem services, this study addresses the need to review current standard, encourages managed aquifer recharge with TWW, recommends crops type modification, and enhances knowledge on suitable practices at farm level. Each of these factors is needed in order to deliver a range of ecosystem services to sustain the local rural communities and to advance them in the face of profound challenges, thereby leading to its stability and increased productivity.
Located in the Urubamba mountain range, the Chicón glacier is the third highest tropical glacier of this area and the source of water for the Chicón watershed. Moreover, from this watershed four communities obtain water for human consumption and agriculture, which is their main economic activity. In the last years glacier retreat is evident in the area and threatens the livelihoods of the people because it affects the availability of fresh water.
The general objective of this research is to analyse the perception of people living in this watershed to climate change, disaster risk, and ecosystem-based solutions. The specific objectives are to identify natural hazards and climate change effects in the community, to recognise potential ecosystem services suitable for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR), and to assess to which climate change effects and disasters the communities are vulnerable based on their own perception. The methodological steps are based on literature review, expert interviews, questionnaires to the community, a workshop and field observations.
The results show that people perceive changes in the climate such as increase in temperature, less precipitation and shifts of the rainy and the dry season. The climate-related disasters that were identified are Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), droughts, frosts and hailstorms. However, GLOFs are not frequent in the area and drought is the hazard that people consider will be more frequent. Additionally, pests were identified as biological hazards. Several ecosystems services can be obtained for EbA and Eco-DRR from forests, especially if native trees such as Qiwiña (Polylepis spp.), Chachacoma (Escallonia resinosa) and Aliso (Alnus jorullensis) are used in ecosystem management. Finally, the hypothesis was partially accepted since people in the study area are to some extent aware of climate change impacts, but only partially understand causes and effects. Further, they recognize most of the ecosystem services that forests provide. Therefore they are starting to implement ecosystem-based solutions in the watershed with the support of external institutions.
Based on the idea of sustainable development, the BioTrade principles and criteria (P&C), based on the idea of sustainable development, have been the essential core guiding the implementation of BioTrade activities since their inception by UNCTAD in 2007. However, after identifying that BioTrade of medicinal plants causes negative impacts on the traditional knowledge related to these plants, the P&C were evaluated in light of the most relevant international agreements that contribute to the safeguarding of this knowledge. The result obtained from the assessment showed that the P&C present many gaps that prevent evaluating the real impact of trade on the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Indigenous and local communities. Therefore, in the same framework of the current P&C, the main recommendations contained in the international agreements and the suggestions of specialists in the field have been gathered to create a BioTrade standard that contributes to safeguarding traditional medicinal plant knowledge within a commercial context in any BioTrade initiative where the commercialized product is a sacred or native plant with traditional and cultural value for a community.
Elaeis guineensis Jacq. or oil palm is a native species of West Africa. Its oils, extracted from the fruit mesocarp and the kernel are widely used in the food industry, industrial applications, and bioenergy production. Due to its versatility, profitability and growing demand, the global oil palm agroindustry raises concerns regarding deforestation, effects in biodiversity, contamination and related to social issues such as labor conditions, poverty, and social conflicts. In Mexico, the establishment and subsequent growth of the oil palm industry was promoted by past government policies and financial support. In Chiapas the current main producer of the country, the expansion can be also attributed to oil palm resilience to floods, hurricanes, and the economic profitability.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the sustainability status of the oil palm production system within Acapetahua and Villa Comaltitlán Municipalities by analyzing the indicators of sustainability. To achieve this, the Evaluation Framework for Natural Resource Management Systems (MESMIS), was adapted to measure the attributes status of productivity, stability, reliability, resilience, self-management, equity, and adaptability, of the different dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social, political, and economic).
It was identified that MESMIS is an appropriate framework to study oil palm system in Acapetahua and Villa Comaltitlán municipalities. The methodology allowed the identification of critical points, and relevant indicators that include land use and vegetation cover changes, oil palm cashflow, good agricultural practices, farmers´ training, level of participation and farmers´ well-being. As a result, it was identified that vegetation and land use changes were principally from pastures land and previous oil palm plantations, and a positive profitability in the last two years. Soil and water conservation practices are implemented, and farmers have received different trainings principally from social mills, but other good agricultural practices and awareness of social problems should be improved, while the social participation evaluation showed a weak status of the political dimension.
In Sierra Leone, at the moment 10 out of the total 14 districts are faced with the problem of large-scale land investments for industrial agriculture (oil palm, sugarcane…). The production is mainly for the local, regional and world market. There are quite many of these investments in the planning stage, while some are extending their operations by taking more land from communities or are already at the production stage. Studies and media reports have claimed a number of negative impacts felt in communities hosting these companies, ranging from loss of land, food insecurity, increase in poverty to loss of livelihoods, environmental degradation as well as social and cultural problems. The goal of this thesis is to examine the impacts of the operations of “Socfin Agriculture Company” on food security of local communities in Malen Chiefdom, Pujehun District of Sierra Leone.
Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used for data collection, analyses, and interpretation of results. The research uses household income and expenditure to compare household food security before and after the start of the company’s operations. It examines consequences of community’s loss of land to support household food production versus casual wage earn from employment created by the company to meet household food security.
The results show a loss of household’s income sources and a significant decrease in households’ income. Households’ food crop production has reduced accompanied by a complete loss of cash crop farming. Households affected by the operations of the company have lost access to land and other natural resources that support food production. Furthermore, the company employs very few people in comparison to the total population of affected communities. Calculation of total wage earn from employment by the company cannot meet the staple food (rice) needs of the households. Also, households claimed a host of unfilled promises made by the company and national government at the onset of the operations of the company.
In conclusion, household food production is the most significant determinant for household food security, with regards to food availability, accessibility, utilization and stability of supply. Therefore, national government should carefully study and develop a framework that addresses food security of households impacted by the operations of the rapidly growing large-scale land investment companies and ensure a fair share of the local community in the economic development of the country and suggesting ways of improving access rights in the context of tenure.
Soils are complex, evolving systems that simultaneously shape and are shaped by numerous biotic and abiotic factors in a vast web of interactions that creates the conditions for the propagation of life and the maintenance of human societies. Yet, land use and land use change (LULUC) and anthropogenic climate change (CC) are forcing substantial and rapid alterations into soil’s properties and processes, thus affecting the functions and services derived from it. The resulting land degradation (LD) is now spread, according to recent estimates, over nearly 30 % of the world’s total land, mostly on the population dense and impoverished tropics, a zone predicted to withstand the worst impacts of CC. The Atlantic Forest in Brazil is a particularly vulnerable environment, and the unusual drought of 2014-2017 that hit its Southeastern region is likely the harbinger of a progressively drier future.
The way the prelude of what might be an increasingly frequent hazard affected farmers’ livelihoods and natural resources, and the manner in which they reacted to those impacts can thus reveal points of strength and fragility that could be respectively harnessed or addressed to develop a more sustainable agriculture and climate resilience. This master thesis focused on characterizing those impacts and reactions on distinct dairy production systems in two municipalities in Northwestern Rio de Janeiro: Santo Antônio de Pádua and Cambuci. Through interviews and in loci observations, the researcher collected data concerning environmental services (erosion prevention, soil cover and water provision), production variables (inputs and outputs), socio-economic information, farm system management and farmers’ future perspectives. The results show that dairy production systems in the region are heterogeneous and, although they may share common characteristics, drought outcomes were closely tied to the specificities of each farm. Ultimately, outcomes originated from differences in water supply, water demand, and feed availability, their subsequent change by the drought and farmers’ reaction to those changes at each property.
The Highland Plateau region, in San Luis Potosí, involves particular dynamics and needs from those presented within the rest of the state; its culture, vocation, mineral resources and territory, converge to give rise to a unique and particular region. The connectivity within the region has been decisive for its development, since two of the largest and most important national roads in go through this territory.
Despite comprehending about a half of the state's territory, this region has not managed to truly influence the state statistics neither economically nor socially; on the contrary, the employment rate has significantly decreased significantly, and also its population number.
Accordingly, this research aims to analyze the connectivity system within this region to strengthen and complement the development tools of these communities in a sustainable manner and, in this way, increase the welfare of the Highland Plateau population.
Throughout this investigation, it will be possible to understand how the location of this physical network, as well as for the use of resources for the satisfaction of the inhabitants, has been reflected in the communities within this region. Likewise, the statements made by state directors in charge of the economy, road network and social development within the region, will be studied. These statements will also be combined with a “functional grid analysis”, the connectivity between communities and their basic needs.
Desarrollo de Competencias para la Sustentabilidad, a través del Aprendizaje Basado en Escenarios
(2018)
La sustentabilidad, planteada como concepto y solución estratégica frente a la crisis contemporánea, supone diversos retos para la humanidad entre los que se encuentra la formación de individuos capaces de afrontar la complejidad de la problemática ambiental, así como de visualizar y desarrollar una sociedad libre, justa y en equilibrio.
Con el propósito de coadyuvar a dicho cambio, el presente trabajo se propuso investigar la contribución del Aprendizaje Basado en Escenarios al desarrollo de competencias para la sustentabilidad, tanto desde el punto de vista conceptual como práctico, diseñando un recurso educativo y realizando una prueba piloto en estudiantes de la Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí. Los objetivos específicos fueron: (1) Identificar, seleccionar y formular el análisis sistémico de dos casos, uno en México y otro en Alemania, para mostrar la complejidad de la relación entre dimensiones de la sustentabilidad y los desafíos a los que se enfrentan los actores en la gestión de esta y, (2) Diseñar y probar un recurso educativo en torno a su contribución al desarrollo de las competencias de pensamiento crítico y pensamiento sistémico.
La prueba piloto del recurso educativo se realizó con un grupo multidisciplinario, integrando estudiantes de las licenciaturas: Ciencias de la Comunicación, Ciencias Ambientales y Salud, Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Psicología y Psicopedagogía.
Con base en entrevistas de valoración se llegó a la conclusión de que el aprendizaje basado en escenarios si permitió contribuir al desarrollo de competencias para la sustentabilidad. Los dos casos seleccionados: Río Rin y Río Verde resultaron eficaces al evidenciar la complejidad, así mismo, advirtieron los desafíos que resultan de la gestión de la sustentabilidad de ambos, mostrándose análogos. Por último, cabe mencionar que el desarrollo de la competencia interpersonal (diálogo y colaboración principalmente) que no estaba dentro de los objetivos de la tesis, se evidenció a partir de las entrevistas la valoración.
The increase in greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels and land use change, has led to changes in the global climate. Agriculture is one of the economic sectors most vulnerable to the impacts generated by climate change. For this reason, the challenge facing humanity today is to develop innovative solutions to address the complexity of agricultural sustainability.
On the other hand, sugarcane is one of the crops that emits the most pollutants into the atmosphere, mainly due to the burning of sugarcane before and after harvesting. Most of these atmospheric pollutants are precursors of climate change and have an impact on the health and quality of life of communities. Moreover, this agricultural practice causes the gradual deterioration of the soil, directly affecting sugarcane production. Consequently, several sugarcane-producing countries have established regulations or dispositions to eliminate this agricultural practice, and one option to eliminate it is the mechanization of harvesting. However, its implementation implies social, environmental, and economic impacts that must be analyzed systemically to avoid potential failures during the technological transition process. It is for this reason that this research, through the MICMAC method, focused on identifying the variables associated with the reduction of sugarcane burning in Campos dos Goytacazes and Tamasopo, to subsequently analyze their direct and indirect interrelationship, and, thus, determine the opportunities and limitations of each locality for the reduction of sugarcane burning.
Through this analysis, it became evident that although the technological transition is an imminent step for the sustainability of sugarcane cultivation, certain factors such as legislation, technological innovation, and the perception of the stakeholders regarding the consequences of sugarcane burning, is what defines in the study sites the speed and subsequent success of this process of change towards green harvesting.
Plants have certain characteristics which allow them to respond to various environmental conditions, like changes in climate, water loss in the soil, lack of minerals; among others. In some of these so-called traits, the responses to climatic phenomena such as drought can be evidenced through morphological adaptations (spines, succulent tissues, trichomes, among others) or physiological adaptations (regulation of water potential at the cellular level, the concentration of nutrients, etc.)
In certain areas of Brazil such as the Mata Atlântica biome, drought events are increasingly occurring and affecting human activities and the environment, and it is required to understand if tree species with traits adapted to dry conditions are occurring in drought-prone areas. For this reason, it is intended to find out the potential of using morphological functional traits of woody species as indicators of dry conditions in the transition zone of the Atlantic Forest. RJ Brazil.
Therefore, this work was carried out considering a field phase in a drought-prone area known as “Mata de Tabuleiros” or Semideciduous Seasonal Lowland Forest that belongs to the domain of the Mata Atlântica, there were selected morphological traits in order to know which of them can give a hint as drought tolerant traits. On the other side, there was searched in the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden JABOT database for species with recorded characteristics related to drought adaptations. For the traits in the field, and the selected species from the database was elaborated a Species Distribution Model SDM in order to know how some climatic variables allow the distribution of species and morphological traits.
As main result there was elaborated a set of trait indicators that can be considered for further analysis in the region; and also the results of the SDM obtained at large scale for the Mata Atlântica for the species selected from the database, and the SDM for the traits analyzed in the field in the Mata de Tabuleiros. Besides that, the consultations with experts in the subject were an important input that allowed to carry out this research. The use of morphological and functional traits is important to understand the interactions between organisms and their environment, in this case, to cope and tolerate a climate phenomenon like drought.
Keywords: Mata de Tabuleiros, Drought tolerance, Morphological traits, Species Distribution Modeling
Chagas disease is a parasitic infection endemic to America, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and mainly transmitted to humans by contact with insect species of the Triatominae subfamily (Hemiptera). The disease is known to affect disproportionally rural impoverished human communities where it is known to cause premature death and is considered a social and economic burden. The Mexican government has made important progress into the detection, surveillance, treatment, and prevention of the disease in the last decades, however, Chagas disease has also been reported in areas where it had not been previously reported, and there are still barriers for access to treatment. In the state of San Luis Potosi, the disease is more studied in the east, nevertheless, it has been estimated that the reported cases of the entire state have been underestimated. New approaches to detect Chagas risk areas could help prioritize locations for Chagas disease education and prevention programs, detect cases of the disease in a timely manner, and provide access to the necessary treatments. The objective of this study was to identify risk areas for the transmission of Chagas disease in San Luis Potosí using species distribution modelling to estimate vectors and reservoirs’ distributions. To do this, firstly, important vectors and one reservoir species of T. cruzi were identified by reviewing their reported infection rates in literature and the number of times reported in Mexico. Next, species distribution models were calculated for the chosen vector and reservoir species present in the state. The models were done using the Maxent algorithm. Lastly, the resulting distribution models were combined into a risk map by thresholding the model outputs to produce binary predictions and then performing an overlap spatial analysis. Vector species were found to have suitable areas in 36.08% of the state’s territory while areas suitable for both vectors and reservoir were 7.4% of the state’s total area. While this figure may look small at first glance, the analysis suggests that 30% of the rural population and 52% of the urban population of the state are living in an area suitable for vectors and reservoir and therefore at risk. Species distribution modelling can be a powerful tool for identifying human populations at risk of contracting Chagas disease. In the future, including different species of reservoirs into the analysis could help to discover new risk areas in the state.
While global food production greatly exceeds dietary energy demand, undernutrition remains, and diets largely fail to ensure the health of the population. Agricultural biodiversity is crucial for the world’s food security, but genetic diversity has been degraded. In Mexico, the dietary transition towards processed foods has contributed to malnutrition and a rise of diet-related chronic diseases. Mexico’s indigenous people are conserving and creating valuable plant genetic resources in their swidden milpas and traditional agroforestry systems but remain the country’s most vulnerable population group. The Teenek (or Huastec), an indigenous group that habitat the Huasteca Potosina, a region in north-eastern Mexico cultivate a high diversity of edible plants in their home gardens (solar), milpas, and agroforestry systems (te’lom, or finca). However, migration has been leading to the abandonment of traditional farming in the region.
The objective of this study was to analyse if the managed agricultural biodiversity of the different traditional land use systems contributes to the food security of the farming households in the community of Jol Mom. Food availability and access were investigated. In total, 40 households were surveyed. Dietary patterns were identified through principal component analysis. Informal interviews, semi-structured interviews and participant observation allowed to account for the people’s own perceptions and provided additional insights. Findings showed that traditional Teenek farming systems are the source of a variety of nutritious foods and resulted to be the most important provider of fruits and vegetables. The average production diversity was 34 out of 56 crops, farmers cultivating more than one or two farming systems showed an increase of four and 11 produced species respectively. Production diversity was strongly correlated with food variety in a household’s diet, with an increment of one per 0.85 produced crop. Two main diverging dietary patterns were revealed, a westernized diet relying largely on purchased foods, to which the younger generation was more inclined, and a traditional diet characterized by a high consumption of cultivated products, mostly observed in the older households.
In conclusion, farming households in Jol Mom profit from the agricultural diversity of their production systems, either through the consumption of nutritious foods or by the sale of agricultural products. However, a tendency towards nutrient-poor diets was observed. Increasing agricultural diversity and consumption of locally produced foods might help to fight this trend but would require a valorisation of traditional foods and an appreciation of the contribution of indigenous people’s traditional agriculture to food security.
This thesis presents the perspective and basis for modeling of retail electricity price components in Germany. Detailed Python models are developed to provide predictions for yearly development of average network charges, EEG, StromNEV-19 and KWK surcharges for the period 2015-2035. For network charges and EEG surcharge, scenario-B (2035) from NEP2015 has been chosen as the model scenario. For KWK surcharge, the 2025 KWK share target, set by KWKG-2016, has been chosen as the model scenario. Individual component model results are validated against available academic literature and institutional reports. Model results for EEG surcharge, indicate an increasing yearly EEG costs till 2024, after which the expiring EEG plants of past will unburden the related high costs and EEG surcharge will drop but still be around 99% of 2015 level in 2035. Model results for network charges indicate a consistently increasing yearly trend owing to high grid investments needed for reaching the target RE share of 57%. KWK model results also indicate a growing KWK surcharge until 2020 which then would remain stagnant at that level onwards. All model results are collected under three consumption categories, namely, households, privileged and nonprivileged industries. The final results indicate that the average German household will face an overall increase of around 3.37 Cents/kWh in retail electricity prices (excluding VAT) till 2028, after which the retail prices will drop a little due to dropping EEG surcharge. The similar but slightly reduced trend can be seen for nonprivileged industrial consumption. The increment effect, however, is only minute for privileged industrial consumption due to high exemptions in EEG & KWK surcharges and reduced individual network charges.
Water risk assessment is becoming an essential part of any decision-making process in the business sector. In the world where freshwater resources are becoming scarcer, water risks are growing and causing high costs to businesses. Therefore, numerous frameworks, guidelines, methodologies, tools, and other approaches were developed during the last century. Various scholars have appeared to give an economic value or price for environment goods in order to understand trade-offs better. Nowadays, the corporate world tends to use different approaches to convert sustainability management data to the financial language of decision-makers. This study explores the possible ways for a company to measure the costs of water related risks. It examines how to convert water risks to financial risks using a Peruvian agricultural company. The results show, that from all today’s available frameworks, guidelines or tools there is no one commonly accepted and recognised as the best for water risk assessment and monetising. It was learned, that available tools could provide just a simple overview of possible water related risks and calculate their costs in a very general way. The work also highlights the importance of regular and appropriate data collection on the company level in order to be able to assess water risk related costs for the business.